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ssindc's review
2.0
Gee, that was as disappointing as it was depressing. I know it's not fair to pluck a couple of books out of lengthy (and popular) series, but - now that I've done so - I can only conclude I missed something selecting this installment. I bought a few of these (used) before I went to Barcelona, and I enjoyed, in large part, the first one I read, Off Side, even though it is numbered later in the series (but chronologically precedes this book, because events are referenced in this book that occurred in that one). This one, however, never seized my attention, frustrated me, and wore me down rather dramatically, despite its lack of length. One of my frustrations was that I wanted more reference and relevance to the Olympic village - a major pet peeve of Montalban's - in part because my son and I really enjoyed visiting Montjuic and the village. Instead, the title - best I can tell - was a cute reference to the fact that there was a Greek tragedy unfolding in Barcelona, and I feel like I'm being generous, nay, reaching for a correlation. So, if you like your detective fiction dressed up in a walking and driving and eating and drinking tour of a (great) city in an earlier era, there's something here for you. And Montalban continues to play to the foodies, painstakingly guiding you through some memorable meals (alas, only one of which is prepared "before your eyes." But the story, well, it did nothing for me. Alas.
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